A Union Pacific rail line in Eastern Washington has reopened after a 23-car derailment and a subsequent chemical spill and fire that left union officials raising questions about the response.
The accident was caused by a March 14 rock slide near the small Adams County community of Hooper. Thirteen of the cars derailed within a tunnel.
The fire flared two days later, March 16, followed by a controlled burn the next day of the remainder of the chemical spill. The line reopened March 21, according to Tim McMahan, a spokesman for Union Pacific.
State Department of Ecology and Adams County Emergency Management officials were not informed by Union Pacific of the sodium chlorate spill until March 16 — two days after the derailment. Still, they gave the railroad generally high marks for the cleanup.
“They responded pretty well, and did everything they needed to do,” said Jay Weise, director of Adams County Emergency Management.